Rotten Heart
by St Elmo's Fire
Summary: Zee Tee had destroyed his world, turned it inside out until nothing but chaos and insanity was left. But now it would all be worth it. He was going to rescue the princess, and then his journey would be over...


Darkness. Horror. Insanity. That was all Zee Tee saw around him. The beautiful bright flowers had become twisted, lifeless brambles filled with thorns. The grinning, waddling heads had turned into cycloptic monsters with razor-sharp teeth. The bright blue skies had become consumed by darkness. Demonic hands now reached from the depths, trying to crush him in their bloody claws.

He had done this. Listening for the places where the world's fabric was weak, listening to the siren's songs of the other layers that had seemed so sweet at the time. So sweet he had wanted to follow them, to peel back the layers of the world around him. But he was met only with darkness and things out of nightmares.

Still, he had persevered. Still he continued, pressing forth, everting his world still further, even when a small part of his simple mind told him that it was wrong, that he shouldn't. But the voice was soon silenced. He had to keep going. He had to rescue Princess Nehema. That was his goal, and that was what he would try to do, until he had finished his quest or was devoured by the darkness he had brought into this world.

And he had won. He had done it. This was the end, the final step of his journey. A castle lay in front of him. It was simple, and small, like a mocking caricature of the real thing, made of simple blocks. Within it Nehema was imprisoned. Zee Tee was sure of it. He had conquered the darkness and insanity, needed only to open the doors and everything would be over...

He did, and was nearly blinded by the sudden brightness. He screwed his eyes shut, then slowly opened them.

This was wrong. Impossible. The sky was back to how it was at the beginning of his journey; bright, normal, cheerful. The darkness did not reign here. _But that's not possible. I was just in that hellscape... _Zee Tee did not pursue that thought. He did not want to. He knew it was impossible, but did not question it. He so desperately wanted to return to that world, to cast off the horrible memories of the ruin behind him. This he was used to. He did not used to think or question. His mind was simple, mechanical, only following what it was told. _"Rescue the princess."_ He followed the order unquestioningly. It was only over the course of his journey that he began to truly think, to wonder if he should have turned back.

"Hello, Zee. I see you've arrived." Nehema's pristine voice cut through his thoughts, dissipating them as if they were dark, stormy clouds. Zee Tee smiled as she turned and he looked up to glimpse her fair, pale face and red eyes. Her golden hair flowed around her pink dress like waves.

_This isn't right. She was supposed to be imprisoned, _a small part of Zee Tee's mind thought. Again, he ignored it, pretended it did not exist. He didn't want to, wanted desperately to believe that everything was going to be alright.

"For a moment I was worried you wouldn't make it," Nehema continued, slowly walking towards the flower-head. He, too, walked toward her, at a faster pace, reaching out to her. She ignored him. "But of course, I knew you'd make it eventually. I created you, after all." Zee Tee froze in place suddenly.

"What...what do you mean?" His voice sounded strange to his ears. He had used it so rarely.

Nehema laughed, a string of pure, high-pitched notes that seemed to cut through the air like a knife. "Of course, you wouldn't know," she said. "But you're my creation. I spent so long, trying to make you perfect, to give you a part of my power..."

Something was wrong. Zee Tee couldn't deny it anymore. He turned slowly as if to leave, but Nehema just waved a hand dismissively. He heard the door lock behind him.

"Come now, Zee, don't you want to listen to what I have to say? Surely you want to know of your origin, your purpose?" She smiled that beautiful, perfect smile. The small part of Zee Tee's mind said again that he should leave right now, try to run away as fast as possible. But he stayed rooted to the spot.

"You've succeeded in freeing me, of course," the princess continued. "I was imprisoned here for longer than I can remember, imprisoned for..." She grimaced suddenly, warping her otherwise beautiful features. "...For trying to show the truth."

"Please, Princess, we have to leave." Zee Tee's voice wavered with confusion and uncertainty. Again, Nehema ignored him.

"Surely you've noticed it, haven't you?" Nehema said, spreading out her arms grandly. "Your power, the ability to evert the world, to peel back the layers of lies and deceit, to show its rotten core. They're all like that," she spat, eyes narrowing. "All the abominable people who act all kind and cheerful on the exterior, but on the inside they're greedy, selfish, cruel... I had the power to see things for what they really are, to turn things inside out and show their true natures. Just like you." Zee Tee stood transfixed by horror, unable to say anything.

"They were afraid of me, those fools. Afraid of my power. Afraid that I would break their web of lies. They imprisoned me here." She walked closer to Zee Tee, and started speaking more quietly. "But I would not be silenced so easily. I created a creature that would fit in with their kind, to collect the magical gemstones they had used to keep me here. Now...now I am finally free. And I owe it all to you."

With a sudden, sharp wave of her hand, the room transformed to match the hellscape of the world outside. Light turned to darkness. Order turned to chaos. Nehema herself transformed into a strange beast, with the same cycloptic eye and razor-sharp teeth of the monsters outside. Her hair turned to menacing black spikes, and her hands changed to claws.

_No... _Zee Tee tried to step back, and realized he had changed as well. In all his travels, he had never changed, continuing to retain his silly, flowery form as the world around him collapsed into chaos and insanity. But now he had changed to fit Nehema's transformation. _It's all wrong...this can't be happening!_ Nehema frowned at him.

"So...you have developed a mind of your own? A mind that has also been corrupted by their deceit..." She smiled again, this time with twisted glee. Zee Tee stepped back, but she advanced to match his step. "It's thanks to you that I can finally destroy this world's facade of lies. That I can finally purge it of its corruption. How ironic, then, that I believe I will start...with you."

Nehema continued to walk towards Zee Tee. He couldn't move. Couldn't scream as Nehema lunged for him and claws closed in.

Then there was only darkness.


End file.
